MANHATTAN — The mind games that toy with athletes at times come in multiples of seven for a heptathlete.

Even when armed with a psychology degree, which Ryann Krais received Saturday from Kansas State, the difficulties can grow intense.

“Sometimes it’s not so much of a blessing when you try to analyze everything and you just need to relax,’’ Krais said.

The senior didn’t leave herself in a comfortable position after the first day of her signature event at the Big 12 Outdoor.

Krais, the reigning NCAA champion, was sitting fourth going into the last three events on Saturday, yet rallied to win with 5,661 points at R.V. Christian Track.

“I went home yesterday with a scowl on my face, but I said to my coach, ‘I feel like I can still win it,’’’ Krais said.

“The goal was no longer the point total, but to pull out those 10 (meet) points for the team. That’s what the hep is all about. It’s readjusting and adapting.’’

Navigating those precious inches between the ears required some renewed spirit.

“In my head, it was a catastrophe going on. I was thinking my season was never going to turn around,’’ Krais said.

After recording the third-best mark among competitors in the long jump, a personal best in the javelin keyed Krais’ second-day surge. She finished with a second-place time of 2:14.28 in the 800 meters after still trailing going into that last event.

“Every morning of a competition I wake up and for whatever reason, the adrenaline is going and I get out of bed pretty happy,’’ Krais said. “I’m like, ‘Well, this is the day,’ and fortunately that’s the way it went today.’’

No surprise, really. Krais’ determination allows her to adjust with the best in an event she first entered, more or less, by accident.

Just a sophomore in high school in Eagleville, Pa., Krais faced a choice while attending the Nike Indoor Nationals. Qualified in both the 60 and the 400 hurdles, a quick turnaround between the two events didn’t permit her to compete in both.

Her coach then suggested the heptathlon. It seemed worse than getting dunked in the steeplechase pool.

“That just sounds like an event for people who can’t win the individual events,’’ Krais remembers saying.

“But I was talked into doing it and I ended up winning the first time I did it, so I said, ‘OK, I kind of like this.’ I learned it certainly is not an event for kids who can’t win other events, but it took a couple of years to change that mindset.’’

A sprinter and hurdler by trade, Krais continues to progress in jumps and throws.

To the point she can no longer identify her go-to specialty.

“I couldn’t even tell you anymore,’’ she said. “Last year my best event was the 800. In high school it was the hurdles. It’s kind of shifted over the years, but that’s what it takes to make a long-term heptathlete.’’

The heptathlon can be just that ... long-term. While the goal for Krais is to obtain the “A’’ qualifying standard before the Olympic Trials, she knows too that heptathletes mature and sometimes excel in their late 20s and early 30s.

Patience is required — something again that challenges the different boundaries separating the athlete and the psychologist in Krais.

“Coach (Cliff) Rovelto will look at me,’’ said Krais, “and be like, ‘OK, chill. Don’t panic right now.’ And I’m feeling like I have to do something, but he’s sat down with me a couple of times and told me to have faith and just let it come along.’’

In time, Krais’ degree could help with that progression. On Saturday, however, the 4.0 (grade-point average) student wasn’t going to let a diploma derail a competition that was already off to a rocky start.

Commencement exercises were conducted within sprinting distance, in Bramlage Coliseum, yet Krais chose not to walk.

“My parents won’t like hearing this,’’ she said. “They didn’t come. They told me, ‘You’re skipping graduation; we’re not coming out to support those actions.’ But no matter what time (graduation) was, I was thinking, ‘I need to be focused. I want to win.’’’

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